2.3.14

Red Blood Cells

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Red Blood Cells

Red blood cells transport oxygen from the lungs to all body cells. They are adapted to do this function because of their features:

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Biconcave shape

  • Red blood cells have dents on each side.
  • We call this a biconcave shape.
  • This biconcave shape creates a large surface area and allows for the rapid diffusion of oxygen.
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Haemoglobin

  • Haemoglobin is found in red blood cells. Haemoglobin binds with oxygen in the lungs.
  • Haemoglobin carries oxygen which will then be released to the body cells to be used for respiration.
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No nucleus

  • Red blood cells do not have a nucleus. This frees up more room for haemoglobin.
  • This maximises the amount of oxygen that they can carry.
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Small size

  • Red blood cells are small so that they can pass through tiny capillaries.

Jump to other topics

1Cell Biology

1.1What's in Cells?

1.2Cell Division

1.3Transport in Cells

2Organisation

2.1Principles of Organisation

2.2Enzymes

2.3Circulatory System

2.4Non-Communicable Diseases

2.5Plant Tissues, Organs & Systems

3Infection & Response

4Bioenergetics

5Homeostasis & Response

5.1Homeostasis

5.2The Human Nervous System

5.3Hormonal Coordination in Humans

5.4Plant Hormones

6Inheritance, Variation & Evolution

7Ecology

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